British Army seeks participants for drone workshop

The British Army has issued an open invitation for manufacturers to participate in its Drone Effectiveness Workshop, scheduled from 10 to 14 February 2025.

The workshop, to be held at MOD Boscombe Down, aims to test the resilience of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) against simulated jamming effects in a controlled environment.

This early engagement opportunity is part of the MOD’s ongoing efforts to assess and improve the operational capabilities of UAS platforms, with up to five UK-registered companies invited to participate.

Participants will have the chance to test their multi-rotor UAS in realistic, simulated environments that emulate jamming effects on GPS, control, and video signals.

The scenarios will simulate a jammer approaching from 10 km to 100 m, while the UAS remains a simulated 20 km from its Ground Control Station (GCS).

Key benefits include:

• Controlled Environment: Testing will take place within a secure indoor facility at Boscombe Down.
• Realistic Scenarios: Simulated jamming across commercial frequencies (2.0-6.0 GHz).
• Performance Analysis: A comprehensive report detailing the effects of jamming on control and operation.
• Actionable Insights: Data to inform design and operational decisions.

Each participating company will be allocated a one-day testing slot and is permitted to bring up to five sub-10 kg UAS platforms for evaluation.

To participate, companies must meet the following requirements:

• UAS platforms must conform to the EASA C4 standard (or equivalent), weigh no more than 10 kg, and feature a multi-rotor design.
• Antennas must be SMA/RP-SMA/U.FL/MMCX to allow for RF attenuator insertion.
• Ground Control Stations (GCS) must have the ability to attenuate power output.
• Companies must provide their own pilot/operators and ensure all personnel meet NATO or MISWG country security clearance standards.

Participating companies will bear their own costs and risks, including transport and personnel requirements. All systems and operators must be delivered to MOD Boscombe Down within the specified timelines.

According to the MOD, this pilot workshop is designed to provide valuable insights into UAS performance under contested conditions, enabling manufacturers to enhance their designs for resilience against modern electronic warfare threats.